


Quicksilver

by Eustacia Vye (eustaciavye)



Category: Harry Potter - Rowling
Genre: Emotional Abuse, F/M, Sexual Abuse, Unrealistic healing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-10-15
Updated: 2005-10-15
Packaged: 2017-10-06 19:33:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/57046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eustaciavye/pseuds/Eustacia%20Vye
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ginny has been pushed to the edge of her limits, and she's just about to break. Lucky for her, Draco understands, and is willing to help.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Quicksilver

**Author's Note:**

> This is my fic for sarea_okelani from LJ, who got the winning bid in the auction on LJ's community "propheting."

The spirit of women is made of quicksilver; their heart of wax.  
Chinese Proverb  


 

In the years following Voldemort's defeat, anything remotely Dark in nature was systematically destroyed. Knockturn Alley was all but depleted. Some shopkeepers managed to disguise items or hide them from the Aurors and various task forces. Harry Potter was the hero of the wizarding world, and they overlooked his grievous injuries. Embittered by all he had lost – his legs, his right arm, Ron, Hermione, Seamus, Lavender, Padma, Parvati, Neville, Molly, Arthur and both Weasley twins – Harry moved into seclusion. He was last seen just outside London, buying a train ticket to Scotland. When the paparazzi arrived at the station, they soon found out that Harry had tricked them. He had disappeared.

Ginny had been tucked away and sheltered for most of the war. She managed to convince her parents to let her become a mediwitch at St. Mungo's. It was safe there, and there was an unspoken agreement that neither side would attack it. Death Eaters and Order members alike were healed within its walls. She felt free within its walls, too. Now she was on the other side of the hospital bed; now she was in control.

Except when she wasn't.

Five years after Voldemort's fall, Ginny crept into the remnants of Knockturn Alley. Borgin and Burke had burnt down four years before, but there were plenty of smaller, darker shops to take its place. Darkness wasn't dead, only hidden more deeply.

_Matt will kill me if he knows I'm here,_ Ginny thought wildly as she pulled her cloak tighter around her. It was dark, and no one ever loitered at the far edges of Diagon Alley after sundown if they could help it. The street lamps never worked anymore, the rubble refused to be cleared, and there was always the creepy sensation of being watched. Having been here before, she ignored the feeling and moved on.

Draco Malfoy watched from the shadows, intrigued. He had barely survived the Final Battle. It wasn't widely known, but he had turned traitor to Voldemort during his seventh year. He hadn't trusted anyone, but remembered the shock and almost-not-hate on Harry's face when he had been seen in the bathroom at Hogwarts. _And I did attack first. But then, I'd never thought he'd fight back quite like that, _Draco thought. It made sense later though, when Draco saw the true ferocity and viciousness of the Death Eaters. They were petty and selfish, not truly concerned about the purity of blood or keeping the Wizarding World safe from Muggles. It was blood feuds, feeling important and being terrifying. It was bullying on a frightening scale.

A charmed letter found its way to Harry, and they both had reluctantly worked together. Draco's price was his parents' safety, which Harry had understood and guaranteed. If not for his information, Order member losses would have been heavier. Harry also might not have been able to survive the last battle if Draco hadn't broken the protective wards and spells around the final horcrux. It left Voldemort vulnerable to the trap Hermione had set as she had died.

Draco had actually been the last to see Harry. He had hobbled in on his magical prostheses. Draco had been sitting beside his father, who was dying of a mysterious and incurable illness he had contracted in Azkaban. "As much as I didn't like him, I'm sorry," Harry had begun.

Draco hadn't moved. "They would've let him die."

"Yeah." Harry moved to sit beside Draco. "I have a favor to ask."

"I'm listening," Draco said shortly. He didn't take his eyes off his father's labored breathing.

"I'm going to disappear. I don't want the pity and their so-called glory. But there's a few people I still care about, and I don't want them hurt."

"What does this have to do with me?"

"Can you... check on them? Nothing extraordinary. Just... I'd feel better if I knew someone was looking out for them."

"They can take care of themselves."

"If something goes wrong..." Harry's voice cracked with emotion. "I just want them safe. They're like my family."

Draco finally looked at Harry. "Fine," he said after a moment. "I'll take a look. But I won't go out of my way. My father's ill and my mother isn't much better."

Harry smiled. "Thank you."

Draco hadn't asked where Harry was headed, and honestly didn't care. The Boy Who Lived Again could live in peace somewhere else.

But Draco found himself drawn to Ginny. He at first resented following the Weasel children. Bill and Fleur and their twins were perfectly fine. Charlie had his dragons during the summer and was Hogwarts groundskeeper during the school year. Percy had his paperwork.

The littlest Weasley at first seemed as put together. There were signs after a while that not all was well. Since Ginny had been one of the Healers helping his father, Draco had invited her to Lucius Malfoy's funeral. She had attended with her boyfriend Matthew Serest, who she had met at St. Mungo's. He was another Healer, but had pointedly refused to even examine Lucius when the symptoms of his illness had begun. Matt had barely acknowledged Draco, and kept a close eye on Ginny. She had seemed skittish when Matt touched her waist, and there was something about her expression that didn't sit easily with Draco. He had seen that expression before on many of the Muggles Death Eaters had tortured.

He had kept a close eye on the littlest Weasley in the following three years. Most of the time, she worked in St. Mungo's and went to her flat nearby. She didn't seem to have any friends, didn't go out to dinner or clubs, and didn't associate with anyone. Matt ceased to be in the picture about two and a half years ago, but he still worked at St. Mungo's. Quiet inquiry revealed he was transferred to a different department, but no one would divulge the reason. Draco didn't need one; Blaise Zabini was the accountant at St. Mungo's. A carefully placed question during lunch, and Blaise was only too happy to spread the dirt around. He had been sweet on Ginny during the war, but had been polite about it. Her brothers had died during her shift, so Blaise had accepted being only her friend. Then Matt came along. Classically blonde with green eyes and a shallow smile. All the witches wanted him, but he latched onto Ginny quickly enough. Then she couldn't speak with Blaise. She all but disappeared socially. Matt stopped speaking to others, and was transferred out for snapping and beating a nurse senseless.

"Then I guess I shouldn't ask him to be my mother's new doctor," Draco had joked, diverting Blaise's attention. He could be shrewd at times, and Draco didn't want to explain his interest.

Draco had spoken of his deal with his mother. She had looked at him with some surprise, but ultimately nodded at his conclusions. "You were always a bight child," Narcissa had said softly. "You knew how to keep us from getting infected, you knew how to keep us safe." She touched his face gently. "You'll know what's best. You always find a way."

Of course he did. He was Draco Malfoy.

Tonight it was a new moon. This is made it even harder to follow someone, but Draco had gotten very good at it by now. He had often followed Ginny on her routine, just to be sure no one else was doing it. He had a feeling that Matt wasn't completely gone from her life, though he couldn't figure out how Matt could be around if he wasn't physically there at all times. Spells perhaps? If it was a spell, it was something Draco couldn't readily identify.

He watched Ginny slip in between two dilapidated buildings. No charms this time, then. She had something else in mind, something that agitated her. This did not bode well at all.

Draco hurried after her, into the darkness.

***

Ginny had been mentally preparing for this moment for the past two weeks. She had finally figured out how Matt kept appearing where she was. A chance comment from Grace last month had clued her in. Ginny knew for a fact that Matt didn't own any property in Ottery St. Catchpole. But Ginny did, as her brothers had let her take their childhood home. None of her brothers needed or wanted the house and its reminders. Ginny hadn't wanted the sad reminders either, but hadn't wanted to give up the house. Instead, it had been locked up, all of its contents preserved in the same condition and positions they had been in when Death Eaters had stormed the house to kill her parents.

The Weasley family clock was still there, still active.

It had to be how he knew where she was. Work, home, school, shopping, traveling... Everything was labeled, and it was only too easy to know where she was. Ginny had turned into a creature of habit. It was easier to know when something was wrong or out of place if there was a usual place for everything. If people knew where to find her on a regular basis, they'd know quickly if Matt ever did anything.

She hadn't said a word of Matt's treatment of her. It was too shameful. She had been fearless, speaking her mind. She had been almost obnoxious as a teenager, really. And yet, there she was, bending over backward, changing everything she was, hiding her thoughts and feelings and hoping against hope that Matt wouldn't hurt her.

It had been such a relief when Matt was reassigned. She had broken up with him two months before, but he had always been so uncomfortably close. Once Matt was gone, she had felt free for the first time in years.

It was worth it, she told herself. It would break her heart, but she knew what she had to do.

Ginny chalked a magic circle on the ground in the back room of a dilapidated building. She chalked the necessary glyphs around the circle, interspersed with ancient runes. It was a spell she concocted from several defense spells and charms, the items she had purchased and books in the hospital library. _This should protect me,_ Ginny thought desperately as she chalked the final lines around the circle. _This will keep me safe. This will break all ties to blood. This will make me lose all ties to the Weasley family. I will no longer be Ginevra Molly Weasley. I have no place in the family. Legalities mean nothing, blood is all, and I will now willingly lose that blood._

Ginny dropped her outer robes to the ground, shedding the shell she had been wrapped in. The inner robes were sheer white, layered over a thin and nearly threadbare white shift with red embroidery at the hem. She kicked off her shoes and stood barefoot on the dusty stones. Taking a deep breath, Ginny stepped forward, careful not to smudge the chalked lines. Ginny could feel the press of the spells against her skin as she stepped into the spell circle. It felt like static, tingling and prickly against her skin.

She held a scalpel in her left hand. Having no athame, a stolen scalpel from St. Mungo's would have to do.

Ginny began to carve runes into her right forearm. Then she carved runes into her left forearm. Blood seeped out right away, dripping down to the floor. With every drop, the circle and its runes began to glow. The white light brightened the room considerably.

_I am no longer a Weasley. I do not belong in the family. I am no longer a Weasley..._

After fifteen minutes of this repetition, Ginny desperately began to claw at her wrists. "I am no longer a Weasley," she panted, voice breaking. "I don't belong in my family. I don't deserve to be there. I'm not one of them anymore!"

The spell circle shattered. The light abruptly died down, and Ginny could feel her usual sense of belonging snap inside her chest. The hand on the Weasley clock had to have fallen off at that same exact moment.

_No longer a Weasley.... Not myself anymore... Not anyone anymore, _she thought. Depressed beyond belief, Ginny crumbled to her knees and began to sob. She had been stoic for two weeks, holding in all the pain. Now she allowed it to be free, and Ginny didn't think she would ever stop. She sobbed out all of her pain, suffering and disappointment of the past five years. Life after Voldemort was supposed to be better, supposed to be like the better times, before his rise to power. But she had nothing but loss, pain, humiliation and loneliness since then. There was no one and nothing to stem the tide of darkness in her life. Her brothers had lives of their own, and never really had been all that close with her once they left home. Ron had been the closest. He had been overprotective and overbearing, to be sure, but he had loved her and protected her as best as he could. He would have kept Matt away. He would have kept her safe. He would have still loved her, despite her weaknesses.

Ginny felt as though she were being watched. She took her hands from her face and clutched her bloodied arms to her chest. She turned to look, and saw Draco Malfoy's pale face floating in the darkness. Gasping, she turned away and sucked in a pained breath. Ashamed, she didn't want him to see her pain. He and Ron had never gotten along. He had done nothing but make their lives miserable in school, though she had never truly interacted with him at Hogwarts. How had he found her? The light of the spell? Had he just been randomly wandering down the darkness of Knockturn Alley?

Draco traveled the distance between them swiftly, and crossed over the faded chalk lines. He knelt down next to her and wrapped his arms around her. He cradled her close, pulling her up against his chest. She turned to bury her face against his chest and sobbed desperately, clutching at his shirt. He held her tight, tucking his face down into her hair. She smelled like flowers, like spring in his mother's garden.

To Draco, she smelled almost like hope.

When her sobs slowed, he gently disentangled her arms and hands. "It can't be that bad," he murmured. He turned over her arms and looked at the raw cut marks, still weeping a steady ooze of blood. "Not for this."

"What do you know? You don't know me," Ginny snapped, wrenching her arms away from him in annoyance. Her skin stung and burned. It shouldn't have; her skin was supped to seal over and be unmarked.

Draco traced one of the glyphs on her forearm. "Safety."

"Don't touch me," Ginny hissed, wrenching her arm away.

"I'm not Matthew Serest," Draco replied mildly. Ginny froze in shock, eyes wide with fear. "Everyone knows on some level that he's no good," Draco continued, tracing the rune on her arm. Her skin was slowly sealing under his fingertip. "He's hurt people, and he has a temper. That's no secret." Draco looked up at Ginny, meeting her eyes. "And anyone with half a mind should have known his interest in you wasn't healthy."

Ginny watched, dazed, as he bent down and gently kissed the inside of her left wrist. Her skin began to seal over. "What are you doing?" she whispered. "Why is it healing now?"

"Acceptance. Acceptance of your status heals you," Draco said quietly. He looked up at her as he kissed the inside of her right wrist. "I almost did this ritual myself."

"Why would you need to?" Ginny breathed, shocked. "Aren't you proud of being a Malfoy? You love your family."

Draco rolled the sleeve of his shirt back, exposing his left forearm. The ghost of the Dark Mark was there, a slight gray against his pale skin. "I was hoping I wouldn't be found. But the ritual doesn't work that way."

"There's a clock... The family clock," Ginny choked. She didn't know why she felt so comfortable with him. Maybe because he seemed to understand pain and not judge her for it. Maybe because it was just time to connect to someone else.

Draco looked at her, eyes unfathomable. "It's not your clock anymore... not in the way it counts."

She nodded, tearful, not sure of what to say. "I... I don't..."

Draco leaned down and kissed her gently on the lips. The move shocked her, and it felt as though her grip on reality had been lost. She wasn't in any kind of control, and at at this moment, she realized it. Still, held against Draco's warm body, it almost didn't seem like something so bad. She felt almost safe with him.

Draco was surprised at himself. He hadn't come into the room intending to kiss her. He had only wanted to be sure she was safe. But she seemed so lost, so alone, and he couldn't help but want to comfort her. She had never been alone before. It wasn't the Gryffindor way, and certainly not the Weasley way. But Slytherins were taught to rely on themselves, and Malfoys were taught that their superiority isolated them. Being alone was comfortable and natural to Draco, and the least he could do was support Ginny.

She leaned against him, absorbing the strength in his touch. She opened her mouth beneath his, breathing him in. His shirt, stained with her blood, was fisted in her hands. She was pulling him closer, trying to absorb his strength. Draco slid his tongue into her mouth, stroking hers.

Draco pulled back slightly and looked into her eyes. "You can stop me if you want to."

"No," Ginny whispered, clinging to him. His eyes were pools of molten silver, reflecting her fear back at her. "Make me like you."

"Like what?" he asked.

"Fearless."

Draco's lips quirked. "A Slytherin teaching a Gryffindor how to be brave? That's new."

Her eyes beseeched his. "You don't know what's happened to me."

Draco cupped her face in his hand and traced her lips with his thumb. "I can guess. I've heard stories about him."

_Dear Merlin, he's heard stories! _Ginny thought wildly. After a fleeting moment of panic, Ginny eased. It didn't matter anymore what anyone had heard. Matt couldn't find her now. Draco wasn't making fun of her. He had matured during the war, surprising her with his gentleness and understanding. He was everything Matt was not.

Ginny drew Draco's thumb into her mouth, running the tip of her tongue against the pad. He shuddered slightly, and his eyes were the color of molten silver. "Be careful," Draco murmured. "I can bite, you know.

Ginny gently bit Draco's thumb. "So can I." Draco raised an eyebrow at her, and she blushed. "I'm learning again."

Draco was entranced by that blush. How far down did it go? He just had to find out. He kissed her again, deep and long. She was responsive, but felt fragile in his arms. He would have to go slowly, and coax a response out of her. She _wanted _to be wild and free, but she was haunted, and Draco knew very well that haunted people were always more fragile than they seemed.

He kissed her gently, then moved his hand down her cheek to her neck. After a moment, Draco moved his hand down to cup her breast and rub his thumb gently over the peaked nipple. He shifted, laying her down on the stones. He nibbled on her earlobe, his thumb moving in lazy circles over her breast. "If you don't stop me now, I won't be able to stop later," Draco hissed into her ear. Her gaze snapped to his face, and her left hand caught his wrist.

"I..." Ginny stopped and licked her lips nervously. "I don't know what I feel anymore," she whispered nervously. "I want to, but... I'm not ready for anything more..."

"I'm not promising anything more," Draco said softly. He kissed her again, hungrily, as if he could devour her pain and hide it away. Draco's hand moved from her breast and then trailed down her belly. He pulled her earlobe between his teeth and tugged gently. "Let me show you how it can really be."

Ginny threaded her hands through his hair. "Please," she whispered. "Show me how to feel again. Make me not afraid."

He slowly kissed his way up to her jaw, then back up to her ear. Ginny could hardly breathe. He was achingly gentle, setting her nerves on edge. Her body had gone too long untouched, and her skin seemed so sensitive. Draco changed position, moving down her neck again. His hand cupped her breast again, kneading gently, making Ginny gasp. "Yes," she whispered, arching against his hand. Draco licked a trail down her neck, to the edge of the exposed skin above her shift. He suckled her breast through the thin material, his teeth nipping and coaxing the nipple to its full peak. One of his hands moved down to the junction of her thighs, pressing gently. Ginny moved her legs restlessly, moaning softly. Draco took her hands in his, then pushed them above her head, pinning them down against the stones. He abraded her nipple gently, causing Ginny to moan and writhe beneath him.

After a moment, Draco transferred her wrists to one hand and used the other to hike the shift above her hips. He trailed his fingers along her thigh, then touched the bared tangle of hair between her legs. Draco felt them tremble around his wrist, and took his time exploring her. He traced her folds, finding her damp for him. He lifted his head from her breast and grinned. "Like it, Ginny? Do you want me inside you?"

"Yes," she moaned, shifting restlessly. "Oh, that feels good.... Please.... I need more..."

Draco's fingers skated over the central wet heat. "Here? Do you want me here?" Ginny could only moan in reply. He pushed a finger inside her, finding it tight and moist. He moved his finger back and forth gently, then pulled it out to find her clit. Ginny was making soft mewling noises, something that sounded more like frustrated desire. "I don't think you're ready for me just yet," Draco murmured against her skin. "I think you need to come a few times first, so that you forget how to even breathe."

"Oh!" Ginny cried. His fingers had brushed over her clit slightly harder, and the pleasure had sent shockwaves through her. It had been ages since she had felt that; Matt had stopped thinking about her own pleasure soon after they had started sleeping together. "Draco..." Ginny moaned, voice fracturing. "Please... don't stop, right there..."

Draco grinned, and then let go of her wrists. He pushed the shift up over her belly, baring her breasts. "Oh, I have no intention of stopping. I want you screaming my name." He kissed his way between her breasts, tongue gently touching her skin. His fingers circled her clit slowly, gently, beginning to set a rhythm. His tongue laved her nipple, back and forth, then in slow circles. He sucked gently, his tongue firmly over her skin. At Ginny's keening cry, he let go of her breast and blew across the damp skin. He held her torso still as he kissed his way down from the valley between her breasts. Ginny moaned, head thrown back and eyes shut tight. She could feel Draco's tongue dip into her belly button, then lick a trail straight down to her sensitive clit. Then his lips closed around the nub, tugging gently.

She nearly wailed at the feel of him, and her hands moved almost spastically over the dusty stones. Draco held her hips still with his left hand, sucking and licking at her clit. He slipped his fingers back inside of her, and began to move them rhythmically. Ginny's legs were splayed wide around his shoulders, and it almost felt as though she had bared her very soul to him. Draco wasn't about to take this gift lightly, and was licking at her almost reverently.

"Merlin," Ginny moaned. "Please, Draco.... please.... Please let me come..."

Draco looked up, then pressed his lips against her inner thigh. "Don't beg me," he said, voice harsh. "Don't beg me like I would ever torture you that way. Don't think I'm like him. Don't think I'm _anything _like him."

Ginny gulped in a lungful of air. "I don't know how else to say it. I need.... I can't..."

"Tell me what you want," Draco hissed against her inner thigh. "Tell me."

"I need you," she moaned. "I can't.... Oh Merlin, I want you so much...."

"What do you want me to do to you?" Draco hissed. He crooked his fingers inside her, and Ginny nearly leapt up off of the stones with the shock of pleasure that shot through her. "Tell me what you want me to do to you."

"I can't," she whispered, squeezing her eyes tight. "It's..."

"Dirty?" Draco asked, lifting himself up on his left elbow. "Oh yes, it is." He moved his fingers at a steady rhythm inside of her, feeling her clench around his fingers. "Tell me you want me to fuck you with my fingers. Tell me you want my cock deep in your cunt." Ginny moaned, lifting her hips up against his hand. His breath was hot against her skin, and _this close _to her clit. Ginny thought she was going to go insane. His voice was hot, sliding through mind. "Tell me you want it from behind. Tell me what you want. Tell me what you like. Don't beg. Don't ever fucking beg for this, you have every right to expect me to have you come. I'm going to fuck you senseless, Ginny, I'm going to have you. I'm going to make you come."

"Make me come," Ginny hissed. She shifted her legs, spreading them wider for him. "Draco, fuck me. Fuck me hard, Draco. Make me come."

Draco sucked in a breath. Merlin, this was hot. Dear Merlin, _Ginny _was hot. He moved his fingers faster within her, then licked at her clit again. She let out a keening cry, and then she was spasming around his fingers. She was wet and tight, pulling at him, trying to keep him deep inside of her. He was hard, pressed against the stones.

_Just a little more, _he told himself. He could hold out a little longer, then fuck her senseless. It had been a long time for him, too, and he didn't want to come so quickly that it would ruin everything. _Self control. I can do this..._

It gratified him to see her arms thrown back, her back arched, bright red hair spilling down around her. When her breathing slowed, she slowly opened her eyes. "Draco?" she whispered.

"I'm right here," he said. She looked down and saw him propped up on an elbow between her legs, watching her. "I'm not going anywhere."

She was blushing, and propped herself up on her elbows. "But you didn't... I mean... I didn't..."

He grinned at her, amused by the red stain creeping across her cheeks. Eyes locked to hers, he dipped his head down and gave an experimental lick across her clit. Ginny's eyes widened as she sucked in a breath. "Oh," she moaned. "That feels good..."

"I know," he murmured, grinning.

Whatever she would have said was lost as his fingers inside her began making lazy circles inside her wetness. _"Oh!" _She threw her head back as she moaned, her breath catching.

"No, Ginny," Draco murmured, his fingers flexing inside of her. "Look at me. Look at me as I fuck you." She gasped and brought her gaze back to his. "Watch me, Ginny. Watch me make you come for me again."

And so she watched as he moved his hand between her legs, and she watched as he bent down to lick and suckle her. She watched his pale head bob up and down, watched his left hand clutch at her hip almost desperately. Ginny could feel her breath catch and her cunt grow even more wet at the sight of him working her up into a frenzy. She was making little soft sounds deep in her throat as Draco teased her clit mercilessly. "Yes," she moaned, thighs twitching restlessly. "Just like that, right there... Yes... More... Merlin, yes, just like that...."

Draco felt her entire body clench around him, tightening as she was approaching her peak. He sucked harder on her clit, tilting his head to look up at her. Ginny was gorgeous, her red hair falling in a wide arc around her, lips parted as she gasped for breath. He pulled gently, his tongue pressed against her swollen clit, tasting her. Draco saw her eyes widen suddenly, then heard her sharp cry as she came.

He moved swiftly, catching her as her arms wobbled and started to give way. Draco smoothed her hair away from her face, then kissed her lips gently. He wiped his fingers on his trousers and quickly unbuttoned them. He pulled everything off as best as he could with one hand, then guided his aching cock to her dripping opening. "I want to be inside you," he moaned against her neck, his breath hot against her skin.

"Yes," she moaned, her hands moving down his back. She caught his buttocks within her hands and gave them a gentle squeeze. He thrust deeply inside of her, burying himself to the hilt. She was wet and tight, spread wide for him. "Merlin, yes.... You feel so good..." Ginny pulled him closer to her, shifting her hips to allow Draco better access.

Draco thrust harder, faster, deeper. He was gasping, feeling Ginny clench tight around him. She was pulling him in deeper, curling up around him, her mouth hot on his neck. She gasped for breath, her mouth pressed against his pulse. Draco had her hair fisted in his hands on either side of her, and he knew he was about to lose control. She was so tight against him, fluttering, squeezing against him. Draco squeezed his eyes tight and moaned. "Oh, I'm going to come, I can't hold on, I'm going to come..."

He spilled his seed inside of her, and collapsed on top of her. After a moment, he lifted himself up and kissed her slack lips. "Doing okay, Ginny?"

Her eyes were wide, focused on his face. "That felt good." She smiled at him almost sadly. "I haven't felt like that in a long time."

Draco tried to shrug carelessly. "Me either. That was pretty good." He kissed the tip of her nose playfully. "But I have to try harder now... You're not supposed to be able to talk."

Ginny laughed, but then her eyes widened as Draco hardened inside of her. "You cast a spell?"

"I don't need one," Draco bragged, grinning at her. He rolled over onto his back, pulling her with him. "Now it's your turn to play."

She gasped in surprise when she found herself sprawled across his chest. "What?"

"Now you do what you want to me," Draco said. He pushed on her shoulders until she got the hint and settled herself into a seated position over him. He held onto her hips and pushed at them gently, indicating that she should ride him.

She smiled at him, embarrassed, and leaned forward so that her hands were on either side of his head. "I haven't done it this way before."

"Same thing," Draco murmured. He moved his hand around to her front so that his thumb touched her clit. She jumped, eyes wide with surprise. "Same thing."

Ginny moved slowly, up and down. It took a minute, but then she picked up a rhythm. Draco continued to rub her clit as she rocked against him. She moved faster and faster, gasping, eyes locked to his. "You feel so good inside me," she gasped. His left hand tightened around her hip, and his right hand moved faster against her clit. She moaned in response, then threw her head back as she came, shuddering all around him. Draco thrust his hips against her, through her orgasm, his own eyes shut tight. Of course he had lied, and subvocalized a spell to bring on an erection. Of course he lied. But he wasn't about to let her go, not when she looked so damned sexy and vulnerable at once. If he could come up with a way to keep her...

Ginny gave a startled cry, and rocked against him again. "Oh... you haven't... yet.... Oh..."

Draco thrust harder against her, in time with her frantic thrusts. "Yes... Just like that..."

He could feel his own pleasure building up, and his fingers tightened erratically around her hip. He let out a groan, then spilled into her moist heat again. He let her collapse against him, and folded his arms around her. He pressed a damp kiss against her temple, and held her close.

"Draco?" Ginny asked after a few minutes.

"Yeah?"

"How did this happen? How did you find me? And why did I let you...?"

Draco chuckled. "I think some things were just meant to happen. I saw you and followed you here. And then... well, you know the rest."

"But why? Why follow me?"

He looked at her upturned face, seeing the hurt shimmering beneath the surface of her eyes. "You looked lost," he murmured. He traced the curve of her lower lip. "I know how that is, and you don't. You don't recover from something like that so quickly. I guess... I know how painful it can be, to be that alone. But you don't have to be."

Something like hope blossomed in her chest. "Really?"

"Really."

Ginny propped herself up onto her elbows and looked down at him. Her hair fell down around them, a curtain of red surrounding their faces. "Thank you."

Draco reached up and caressed her face. "Want to have dinner sometime? If you need to talk, I can listen. I got really good at it while taking care of my father."

Her lips curved into a soft smile. "I could use a friend."

"Me, too."

They untangled themselves, and Draco watched as Ginny tucked her hair behind her ear. She rearranged the shift, pulling it down and covering herself again. She looked at him and smiled lightly. "Do you think it'll work? That he'll leave me alone now?"

_If he's a smart man, he will, _Draco thought darkly. He merely nodded, and pushed himself up to a sitting position. "You could always visit me anytime you didn't feel safe. He won't go near Malfoy Manor."

"Oh, but it wouldn't make sense for me to go there," Ginny said, shaking her head. She looked around the room as Draco got up and straightened out his clothing. Any trace of her spell circle was now gone.

"My mother doesn't like her mediwizard," Draco said suddenly. "I think she could use a new doctor. Someone that cares, and knows what it's like to not be understood." He caught her eye and grinned. "Know someone like that?"

Ginny laughed suddenly, the nervousness that had been building up dissolving. "Yeah, I think I do. I may be that mediwitch."

Draco caught her hand in his, and raised it up to his lips. He dropped a gentle kiss on the back of her hand, then looked up at her through his lashes. His eyes looked like quicksilver, and Ginny felt as if she were caught up inside of them. "I think you are, Ginny. I think you may be just the thing we needed in our lives."

Ginny let her hand drop from his after a moment. "You make me think there's a life for myself out there somewhere."

He helped her gather up her robes, and held her steady as she slipped back into her shoes. Her skin felt warm and pliant, and he could still taste her on his tongue. "There's a place for you," Draco said abruptly. "If you want it, if you think you're ready."

She could let herself drown in his silver eyes, she decided. She felt safe there, though, and smiled at him. "I think I am. I want to learn to live again."

He held out his arm for her in a gallant gesture after helping her put her robes on. "Well then. It's time to start living again."

It seemed brighter outside, and Draco escorted her from the ruins of Knockturn Alley. It was much too early for any of the shops along Diagon Alley to be open, so they walked down the street in amicable silence. After a few minutes, Ginny realized that Draco was walking her back to her flat. She turned to look at him, stunned. He smiled at her sheepishly. "I've noticed you for a while now. It was never the right time."

She couldn't even bring herself to be angry with him. He hadn't meant to hurt her or terrorize her, he was merely concerned. Once at her doorstep, she turned and gave him a soft kiss. "Thank you for tonight, Draco. I really needed it."

He was a bloody do-gooder. Yet he couldn't bring himself to care. "Anytime, Ginny." He grinned at her rakishly. "It was fun."

Ginny laughed, struck by the absurdity of it. "It was, wasn't it?"

"We should do it again sometime," he added, grinning even wider.

On a whim, Ginny nodded. "Sure. We should."

"I look forward to it," Draco said with a bow. "Be safe."

She smiled at him. "I will now. I'll see you soon."

He nodded, then started walking to the apparition point at the end of her street. He turned and waved, and Ginny lifted her hand to wave back. Smiling, she let herself into her flat. It was good to feel safe again, good to feel as though she weren't so alone. She looked down at her forearms, at the smooth skin stretched across her flesh.

Acceptance would let her heal. Acceptance was the key.

She went to the mirror in the bathroom and took a good look at herself. She hadn't liked what she saw there that morning. Ginny had to admit she didn't look any different, though she felt completely different now. She smiled at her reflection. "I do love you," she told herself. And for the first time in years, she meant it.

The End.


End file.
